West Park United 0 Elgin City 4: Lily Morrison hits hat-trick to seal Scottish Cup progress
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ELGIN City Women ran out convincing 4-0 winners against Glasgow opponents West Park United in their first ever Scottish Cup match on Sunday.
Lily Morrison (15) hit a hat-trick, with Lauren Doherty grabbing the other goal in a convincing win for the Black and Whites, who will now face St Mirren in the next round on October 1.
Manager Mo Morrison wasn't sure what to expect heading into the clash, but was pleased to seal progress to the next round.
"There weren't really any expectations heading into the game," he said. "That's the same as for any games until we see the level of opposition we are up against.
"But there were concerns about the length of the journey and the early start, which some players are not used to. It was really warm when we got there and the pitch was really small, which was concerning.
"We are used to a bigger surface as we are athletic and have good fitness so try to overrun teams.
"We also had a depleted squad, with only two substitutes and our first choice goalkeeper out injured – but the people who came in did a great job.
"It was Lily's best game of the season. She is only 15 but, rightly or wrongly, we put her under pressure and told her we need a performance and she delivered.
"All-in-all it was one of our better performances so far, given all of the concerns pre-match."
A trip to Paisley in the next round is good reward for the success, with Morrison hoping to pull off a "scalp" against a team from the division above.
"The draw was live on the bus so we had a bit of fun watching that," Morrison added. "We were hoping for a home draw, but every team is the same.
"We will go to St Mirren with nothing to lose playing against a team in the league above us. We will play our own game, take it to them and hope to pull off a scalp.
"It wouldn't be the biggest shock in football if we went there and won – there's no reason we can't go full of confidence. We are going there for one thing and one thing only."
Next up, though, City host Buchan on Sunday at the Gleaner Arena in Elgin. Entry to the match is free, but visitors are asked to bring a food donation for Moray Food Plus.
